Client C – Garage

Date: January 2023

Space: Garage

Like many of us during this post-Covid era, Client C receives many packages in the mail. Regrettably, rather than dealing with the boxes and shipping supplies as they came in, she simply threw them into her garage to deal with later. This habit persisted for over a year.

Once she had reached a certain point, the boxes had become such a problem she could not access an of the items in the garage, use the space for storage, or her park her car inside. Additionally, the clutter became a source of stress and shame and rather than trying to resolve, it became a habit to crack the door open and toss them items out. When I visited the boxes and other items were over head height for almost the entire 2 car garage.

Working together, Client C and I spent more than 3 hours collapsing boxes and bagging trash. For easier removal collapsed boxes were put into larger boxes, though they can also be tied together and trash was placed in large bags. We chose a work day close to bulk pick-up for the area. Here is most of that trash.

Packing material for removal

Collapsed boxes for removal

The following visit we were able to dig into those items that were left in the garage. Setting some aside for donation. We also constructed three opening shelving units for storage. Once the trash and clutter were removed there were just those items she used and needed left. The shelves made it easy to see everything while taking advantage of the vertical space.

When you have gotten into bad habits and things seem overwhelming there are only two ways to deal with it. See it as many small hurdles to overcome by slicing smaller pieces out of the whole, or take a deep breath, gather reinforcements and jump in.

Smaller slices:

• Everyday, grab 3-5 boxes collapse them and throw them in the trash.Keep a trash bag and utility knife by the door that are only used for this task.
• Choose a day that works for you and set aside 10-30 min to start working on the problem. Do this every week until you can start to see an end

Deep breath:

• Set yourself up for success by inviting family/friends who will support you to overcome the problem in one go. Hopefully they can also keep your energy positive.
• Open all the doors to bring light into the space. Play music or an interesting podcast.
• Some people are embarrassed to show what they see as a failure to family/friend, in which case bringing in a third party (OrganizeSmith) to get things done is the way to go.

Lessons Learned:  Bad habits are not gained in a single day. Give yourself time to change those habits.

By removing all of the trash and clutter Client C was able to reclaim the space. Through remote coaching I was able to help her develop the mechanics to maintain that organization. It is important that you do not expect too much change too quickly.  She still receives quite a few packages a week in the mail. She now has a dedicated “parking” space for her boxes, but she set aside time every Saturday before her weekly walk with friends to collapse her boxes and chuck out her junk.